Connecticut Felony Classes and Misdemeanor Penalties (2026)

Connecticut defines a felony as an offense for which a person may be sentenced to more than one year in prison, and a misdemeanor as an offense carrying a term of not more than one year (Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-25 and 53a-26). Felonies are sorted into classes A through E plus unclassified felonies, misdemeanors into classes A through D plus unclassified misdemeanors, and since October 1, 2021 no offense punishable by up to one year may carry more than 364 days (53a-36a).

Information last verified on 2026-10-17. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers how the Connecticut General Statutes classify offenses (53a-24 to 53a-27), the class sentence and fine sections (53a-35a, 53a-35b, 53a-36, 53a-36a, 53a-41 to 53a-44), the persistent-offender statutes (53a-40, 53a-40a, 53a-40b, 53a-40d, 53a-40f), and the probation sections (53a-28, 53a-29, 53a-32). It does not grade individual offenses (see the Connecticut theft laws and Connecticut assault and battery laws pages), parole, time limits for prosecution, record clearing, local ordinances or federal offenses. For every state side by side, see felony and misdemeanor classes by state.

Felony vs misdemeanor in Connecticut

The dividing line is the prison term the law allows, not the sentence a judge actually imposes. Section 53a-25(a) provides: "An offense for which a person may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment in excess of one year is a felony." Section 53a-26(a) provides: "An offense for which a person may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than one year is a misdemeanor."

Since 2021, the top of the misdemeanor range is 364 days. Section 53a-36a(a), added by Public Act 21-32, states:

"Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any offense which constitutes a breach of any law of this state for which a person may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of up to but not exceeding one year shall be punishable by imprisonment for a period not to exceed three hundred sixty-four days. A misdemeanor conviction for which a person was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of one year shall continue to be deemed a misdemeanor conviction after the maximum term of imprisonment is reduced pursuant to this section."

Subsection (b) applies the cap "to any term of imprisonment for which a person was sentenced to before, on or after October 1, 2021."

Below misdemeanors sit two lower tiers. Under 53a-24(a), "The term 'crime' comprises felonies and misdemeanors. Every offense which is not a 'crime' is a 'violation'." Under 53a-27(a), an offense punishable only by a fine "is a violation unless expressly designated an infraction."

Connecticut felony and misdemeanor classes

Sections 53a-25(b) and 53a-26(b) list the classes "for the purposes of sentence." Felonies are class A, B, C, D, E and unclassified, plus a seventh category for capital felonies under 53a-54b as it read before April 25, 2012. Misdemeanors are class A, B, C, D and unclassified.

These are the ranges for the class itself. The prison terms apply "unless the section of the general statutes that defines or provides the penalty for the crime specifically provides otherwise" (53a-35a and 53a-36), and the persistent-offender statutes in 53a-40 to 53a-40f set higher ranges for some repeat convictions, described below.

The felony prison terms come from 53a-35a, which covers "any felony committed on or after July 1, 1981." The misdemeanor terms come from 53a-36. The class fines come from 53a-41 for felonies, 53a-42 for misdemeanors and 53a-43 for violations, which provides that "A fine for a violation shall be fixed by the court in an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars," unless the statute defining the violation expressly specifies a different fine. Under 53a-44, if a person gained money or property through the offense, the court may instead impose a fine of up to double the amount of the gain.

What "life" means in Connecticut

Section 53a-35b provides: "A sentence of life imprisonment means a definite sentence of sixty years, unless the sentence is life imprisonment without the possibility of release, imposed pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) of subdivision (1) of section 53a-35a, in which case the sentence shall be imprisonment for the remainder of the defendant's natural life." When the murder range reaches "life," that is a definite 60 years under this section, while murder with special circumstances carries life without the possibility of release. The Connecticut life sentence page explains how a life term works there.

How a Connecticut sentence is set

Connecticut uses definite sentences. Section 53a-35a states that "the sentence of imprisonment shall be a definite sentence" and that "the term shall be fixed by the court" within the class range; 53a-36 says the same for misdemeanors. Neither section refers to a sentencing grid or presumptive range; the court fixes the term within the limits the class or offense statute sets.

Some offense statutes set their own floors. For example, under 53a-60b(d), assault of an elderly, blind, disabled or pregnant person or a person with intellectual disability in the second degree "is a class D felony and any person found guilty under this section shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of which two years of the sentence imposed may not be suspended or reduced by the court."

Persistent offenders (53a-40)

Section 53a-40 defines several kinds of persistent offender, each with its own sentence. The main ones:

• Persistent dangerous felony offender. A person who "Stands convicted of manslaughter, arson, kidnapping, robbery in the first or second degree, assault in the first degree, home invasion, burglary in the first degree or burglary in the second degree with a firearm," and who before the present crime was "convicted of and imprisoned under a sentence to a term of imprisonment of more than one year or of death, in this state or in any other state or in a federal correctional institution" for one of the crimes the section lists (53a-40(a)(1)). Under 53a-40(i), the court "shall" impose a term that is not "less than twice the minimum term of imprisonment authorized for such crime, or ... more than twice the maximum term of imprisonment authorized for such crime or forty years, whichever is greater," and any mandatory minimum doubles. If the person was twice before convicted of and imprisoned for listed crimes, at separate times, the term is "not less than three times the minimum term of imprisonment authorized for such crime or more than life," and any mandatory minimum triples.
• Persistent dangerous sexual offender. A person who "stands convicted of sexual assault in the first or third degree, aggravated sexual assault in the first degree or sexual assault in the third degree with a firearm" and who before the present crime was "convicted of and imprisoned under a sentence to a term of imprisonment of more than one year" for a qualifying offense (53a-40(b)). Under 53a-40(j), the court "shall" impose a prison term and a period of special parole "which together constitute a sentence of imprisonment for life, as defined in section 53a-35b."
• Persistent serious felony offender. A person who "stands convicted of a felony" after being "convicted of and imprisoned under an imposed term of more than one year or of death" for a crime (53a-40(c)). The court "may impose the sentence of imprisonment authorized by said section for the next more serious degree of felony" (53a-40(k)).
• Persistent felony offender. A person who "stands convicted of a felony other than a class D or E felony" and was twice before convicted, at separate times, of a felony other than a class D or E felony committed within the ten years before the present felony (53a-40(g)). The court may impose the next more serious degree of felony, "provided the sentence imposed may not be less than three years, and provided further three years of the sentence so imposed may not be suspended or reduced by the court" (53a-40(o)).
• Persistent serious sexual offender. A persistent serious felony offender whose present and prior convictions are for listed sexual offenses (53a-40(d)). The court may impose prison plus special parole that "together constitute the maximum sentence specified by section 53a-35a for the next more serious degree of felony" (53a-40(l)).
• Persistent larceny offender. A person convicted of larceny in the fourth, fifth or sixth degree (or third degree under the pre-October 1, 1982 version of 53a-124) who was twice before convicted of larceny for violations within the prior ten years (53a-40(e)). For a violation on or after October 1, 2019, the court may impose the class E felony sentence for a conviction under 53a-125, or the next more serious degree of misdemeanor for a conviction under 53a-125a or 53a-125b (53a-40(m)(2)).
• Persistent offender for possession of a controlled substance. The court may impose "the sentence of imprisonment for a class E felony authorized by section 53a-35a" in place of the misdemeanor sentence (53a-40(n)).

For persistent dangerous felony offenders, 53a-40(p) requires the prosecutor, on an arrest for a listed crime, to "investigate and ascertain" whether the person has two qualifying prior convictions and imprisonments; no court may accept a plea until the prosecutor has done so, and a prosecutor who decides not to seek the enhancement "shall state for the record the specific reason or reasons for not initiating such proceedings."

Four related sections add their own enhancements:

• Hate-crime repeaters (53a-40a). A persistent offender of hate crimes is a person convicted of a listed hate-crime offense who was previously convicted of a listed offense (53a-40a(a)). The court "shall" impose the sentence for the next more serious degree of felony or misdemeanor, "except that if the crime is a class A misdemeanor the court shall impose the sentence of imprisonment for a class E felony" (53a-40a(b), as amended by Public Act 26-77, section 22, effective October 1, 2026).
• Assault, stalking, threatening, harassment, trespass and protective-order repeaters (53a-40d(b)). For a person found to be a persistent offender of these crimes, the court "shall" impose the sentence "for the next more serious degree of misdemeanor or felony, except that if the crime is a class A misdemeanor the court shall impose the sentence of imprisonment for a class D felony."
• Impaired-driving felony repeaters (53a-40f(b)). For "a persistent operating while under the influence felony offender," the court "may impose the sentence of imprisonment authorized by said section for the next more serious degree of felony."
• Offenses committed while on pretrial release (53a-40b). A person convicted of an offense committed while released under sections 54-63a to 54-63g or 54-64a to 54-64c, other than a violation of 53a-222 or 53a-222a, "may be sentenced, in addition to the sentence prescribed for the offense to (1) a term of imprisonment of not more than ten years if the offense is a felony, or (2) a term of imprisonment of not more than one year if the offense is a misdemeanor."

Some offense statutes also raise the class for a repeat offense. Under 53a-173(b), failure to appear in the second degree is "(1) a class D misdemeanor for a first offense, and (2) a class A misdemeanor for any subsequent offense."

Unclassified offenses in Connecticut

Some offense statutes state a prison term without naming a class. Sections 53a-25(d) and 53a-26(d) assign one by the maximum term:

• A felony-range offense with no designated class is "A class E felony if the maximum term of imprisonment specified is in excess of one year but not more than three years," and otherwise "an unclassified felony" (53a-25(d)).
• A misdemeanor-range offense with no designated class is a class A misdemeanor if the maximum is one year, class B if six months, class C if three months and class D if thirty days; any other maximum makes it "an unclassified misdemeanor" (53a-26(d)).

An unclassified felony or misdemeanor carries the prison term and fine "specified in the section of the general statutes that defines or provides the penalty for the crime" (53a-35a(10), 53a-36(5), 53a-41(6), 53a-42(5)).

Can a felony be reduced to a misdemeanor in Connecticut?

The classification and sentencing sections described on this page (53a-24 to 53a-29, 53a-32, 53a-35a, 53a-36, 53a-36a and 53a-40 to 53a-43) contain no general provision that converts a felony into a misdemeanor, the mechanism other states call a "wobbler." The class follows from the offense statute, and some offense statutes assign different classes depending on the facts or on whether the offense is a repeat, as 53a-173(b) does.

Violations and infractions

A violation is an offense "for which the only sentence authorized is a fine" (53a-27(a)), with a fine of up to $500 unless the statute defining it expressly specifies a different amount (53a-43). It is not a crime, and under 53a-24(a), "Conviction of a violation shall not give rise to any disability or legal disadvantage based on conviction of a criminal offense."

An infraction is a separate, lower category. Section 53a-24(a) excludes from the Penal Code's definition of an offense one that "defines a motor vehicle violation or is deemed to be an infraction," and only felonies and misdemeanors are crimes. Infraction fines are set by a schedule under 51-164m. Under 51-164m(c)(1), "Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, no fine established in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section may be less than thirty-five dollars or more than ninety dollars," so some infractions may carry other amounts.

How long is probation in Connecticut?

Probation is available "upon conviction of any crime, other than a class A felony," if the court is of the opinion that confinement "is not necessary for the protection of the public," that the person needs guidance that "can be effectively administered through probation supervision," and that probation "is not inconsistent with the ends of justice" (53a-29(a)). Conditional discharge is likewise unavailable for a class A felony (53a-29(b)).

The class A felony bar is not the only limit on avoiding prison. Some statutes require part of a sentence to be served without suspension, among them 53a-60b(d) (two years) and 53a-40(o) (three years for a persistent felony offender).

The standard periods are in 53a-29(d), and 53a-29(e) lets the court, "in its discretion, on a case by case basis," set a longer one:

Subsection (f) overrides these periods for some offenses. Probation "shall be not less than ten years or more than thirty-five years" for listed sexual offenses, including violations of 53a-70, 53a-70a, 53a-71, 53a-72a, 53a-72b and 53a-90a and of 53-21(a)(2), and it "shall be five years for a violation of section 53-247" (53a-29(f)).

A probation sentence is "a revocable disposition," but "for all other purposes it shall be deemed to be a final judgment of conviction" (53a-28(d)).

What happens if you violate probation in Connecticut?

Section 53a-32(d) sets out what the court may do once a violation is established:

"If such violation is established and the violation consisted of the commission of a serious firearm offense or the defendant is a serious firearm offender, the court shall revoke the sentence of probation or conditional discharge, otherwise, the court may: (1) Continue the sentence of probation or conditional discharge; (2) modify or enlarge the conditions of probation or conditional discharge; (3) extend the period of probation or conditional discharge, provided the original period with any extensions shall not exceed the periods authorized by section 53a-29; or (4) revoke the sentence of probation or conditional discharge. If such sentence is revoked, the court shall require the defendant to serve the sentence imposed or impose any lesser sentence."

The same subsection sets the standard of proof: "No such revocation shall be ordered, except upon consideration of the whole record and unless such violation is established by the introduction of reliable and probative evidence and by a preponderance of the evidence."

Recent changes

• 364-day misdemeanor cap (2021): Public Act 21-32, section 35, is the source of 53a-36a, limiting any offense punishable by up to one year to 364 days, including for sentences imposed before October 1, 2021.
• Probation for 53-247 violations (2025): Public Act 25-91, section 27, added 53a-29(f)(2), setting a five-year probation period for a violation of 53-247.
• Failure to appear in the second degree (2025): Public Act 25-29, section 3, reduced a first offense of failure to appear in the second degree from a class A misdemeanor to a class D misdemeanor; a subsequent offense remains a class A misdemeanor (53a-173(b)).
• Persistent offenders of hate crimes (2026): Public Act 26-77, section 22, effective October 1, 2026, renamed the 53a-40a category from persistent offenders of crimes involving bigotry or bias to persistent offenders of hate crimes, revised the list of qualifying offenses, and changed the enhanced sentence for a class A misdemeanor from a class D felony to a class E felony.
• Other 2025 amendments: Public Act 25-39, section 24, amended 53a-60b; Public Act 25-91, section 28, amended 53a-189a; and Public Act 25-168, section 261, created 53a-189d (unlawful dissemination of an intimate synthetically created image, a class A, C or D misdemeanor or class D felony).

Related legal issues in Connecticut

Each offense statute assigns its own class. The Connecticut theft laws page explains how larceny is graded into these classes, and the Connecticut assault and battery laws page covers the assault offenses. For clearing an old record, see Connecticut expungement laws. For the time limits on bringing felony and misdemeanor charges, see the Connecticut statute of limitations.

Federal gun law turns on the possible prison term: 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) applies to a person convicted of "a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year." Separately, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9) bars possessing a firearm or ammunition after a conviction in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, as 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(33) defines it, whatever the misdemeanor's maximum sentence. The federal classes are covered on the felony and misdemeanor classes hub.

Related

• Felony and misdemeanor classes by state
• Connecticut theft laws
• Connecticut assault and battery laws
• Connecticut expungement laws
• Connecticut life sentence
• Rhode Island felony and misdemeanor classes
• Massachusetts felony and misdemeanor classes

This article provides general legal information about how Connecticut statutes classify and punish offenses, current as of 2026-10-17. It is not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Connecticut.

Last updated: 2026-10-17.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor in Connecticut?

A felony is an offense for which a person may be sentenced to more than one year in prison (Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-25(a)); a misdemeanor carries not more than one year (53a-26(a)). Since October 1, 2021, 53a-36a caps any offense punishable by up to one year at 364 days.

What are the felony classes in Connecticut and how much time does each carry?

Unless the offense statute provides otherwise, class A carries 10 to 25 years (murder 25 years to life), class B 1 to 20 years, class C 1 to 10, class D up to 5 and class E up to 3 (53a-35a); unclassified felonies carry the term their own statute sets. Persistent-offender rules in 53a-40 to 53a-40f can raise these ranges.

What is a class A misdemeanor in Connecticut?

It is the highest misdemeanor class. Unless the offense statute provides otherwise, it carries up to one year under 53a-36(1), which 53a-36a limits to 364 days, and a fine of up to $2,000 (53a-42(1)), or up to double the gain where the offense produced money or property (53a-44).

Is a violation or an infraction a crime in Connecticut?

No. Under 53a-24(a), only felonies and misdemeanors are crimes, and a violation conviction carries no criminal-conviction disability; a violation is punishable by a fine of up to $500 unless the statute defining it specifies a different amount (53a-43). Infractions are a separate category with scheduled fines, generally $35 to $90 (51-164m).

Can a felony be reduced to a misdemeanor in Connecticut?

The classification and sentencing sections described here (53a-24 to 53a-29, 53a-32, 53a-35a to 53a-36a and 53a-40 to 53a-43) contain no general provision converting a felony into a misdemeanor. The class follows from the offense statute.

How long is probation in Connecticut?

Under 53a-29(d), the standard maximum is 5 years for a class B felony, 3 years for class C, D, E or unclassified felonies, 2 years for a class A misdemeanor and 1 year for class B, C or D misdemeanors; 53a-29(e) lets the court go to 5, 3 and 2 years for some of these, and listed sexual offenses carry 10 to 35 years. Probation is not available for a class A felony.

What happens if you violate probation in Connecticut?

If the violation is proved by a preponderance of reliable and probative evidence, the court may continue the probation, change its conditions, extend it within the 53a-29 limits, or revoke it and require the sentence imposed or a lesser one (53a-32(d)). Revocation is mandatory for a serious firearm offense or a serious firearm offender.

Does Connecticut have a habitual offender law?

Yes. Section 53a-40 defines several kinds of persistent offender; for example, a persistent dangerous felony offender must be sentenced to at least twice the minimum term and up to twice the maximum or 40 years, whichever is greater, and up to life with two qualifying prior convictions and imprisonments.

How long is a life sentence in Connecticut?

Under 53a-35b, a life sentence is a definite sentence of 60 years, unless it is life without the possibility of release, which means the rest of the person's natural life.